The END Phenomenon
by eminakashima
Summary: After accidentally shredding the book of E.N.D, Natsu must come face to face with a demon he never expected. Himself.
1. Chapter 1

The aftermath settled.

Standing in front of Lucy was Natsu, his eyes darkened to the darkest possible hue of gold. His outfit, taken from somewhere within Tartarus, was tattered and torn after a single battle. For some reason, Lucy found it extremely hard to focus in on him, something different about Natsu. Looking down, a single splatter of blood caught her attention.

Then there was more, and she fell to her knees. Natsu, too shaken to move forward, turned around to see the Book of END in shreds on the ground. Mard Geer stood aghast, trembling at the sight before him.

In the fury, too blinded by kicked up dirt and dust clouds, Lucy couldn't bring herself to meet Natsu's eyes again. They thinned out in pain and confusion, as if he was having a hard time understanding what had happened at all. Bearing the sudden noticeable stress, he held out his hand in front of him as his vision worked to fixate on this blood-stained thing.

As his sight cleared, his nails were painted black and elongated, marred by blood and dirt. His balance was thrown off, as if horns were branching out of him… He felt like a demon, just as his mind settled in to take in everything.

Within himself, he screamed, _"Lucy! What happened to you!?"_ Lucy, hugging her wound in her abdomen, struggled to look up as she could see Natsu reach his arm forward, towards her. Lifting the weight of her head from exhaustion, she searched the rubble for Sting and Rogue, who had been thrown askew in Natsu's rage and fury.

What felt like screaming, Natsu only managed to whisper, "_Lucy…_" His voice was hoarse and his throat hurt from yelling.

A single sweep of wind brushed his bangs into his eyes, unsettling the dirt and dust around them again. Mard Geer still remained frozen in terror, his hands shaking at his side. He was in fear that Natsu had torn the book that held END, yes, but what truly terrified him was what was the outcome of the shredding of the book.

"Natsu," Lucy pleaded, speaking in pain and desperation. Quickly, he turned to her, desiring to help her. Still, the thought of his claws possibly have been the thing to dig into her skin killed him a little inside. He stated back, his eyebrows arched in personal frustration.

_What happened?_ his inner self thought. His mind was flooded with different desires, such as the want to continue attacking Mard for revenge, but he also yearned to go home, carry Lucy with him, and return to his normal guild life.

There was nothing waiting for him below Cube. The guild had been broken into pieces, and he could barely recall the last time he'd seen it. Natsu was getting used to the idea of seeing the guildhall constantly change, after the first time it had been destroyed by Gajeel. He remembered the pain that flooded him when he saw the guild hall broken down, and it still hurt him a little to see his childhood home rebuilt into something new. In the beginning, it didn't feel as homey as he wanted it to.

Then, there was Lucy… He liked how he felt at home around her. In the beginning, it was a little odd around her, being that he wasn't adjusted to the rose scent that emanated off of her, or the way that her temper flared up as quickly as his did. No matter what, however, he liked being around her, and now, Natsu doubted that he could live without her. After all, if it wasn't for Lucy, he, nor the guild, would have come this far.

She looked up at him, still pressing down on her wound as she stood up to her feet. Lucy weakly swayed as she regained her balance, walking towards him. Flinching, Natsu moved to take a step back, fearing that he'd hurt her, but as Lucy's knees weakened and she began to topple over from the blood loss, Natsu raced forward to catch her in his arms.

"Lucy!" His voice broke out loud and clear, stronger than it had ever been. He held her closer, shaking her a bit to wake her from her daze.

_Natsu, what happened…? _Lucy thought, a weak whimper escaping her lips. Natsu gasped in relief, lowering her back down to her knees. She sat on the broken concrete beneath her, watching Natsu stand and turn towards Mard Geer as he stuttered and stammered over his words.

"S-son of Igneel," he choked. "It was y-"

Beside him, Igneel collapsed from the sky. Acnologia screeched, pleased with the fallen dragon. Igneel, roaring in pain and fury, struggled to regain strength from the collision. Wincing, he opened a single yellow eye, taking in the sight of Natsu.

The young boy that he had worked so hard to protect was broken and Igneel's years of effort to protect him had all ended up void. He remembered coming across Natsu as a child, seeing the demon in his young, frail body. His original intention had been to take the chance to destroy END then, since he had failed 400 years before.

It was his eyes. Natsu, a young child who had somehow managed to break away from Zeref, looked up into Igneel's eyes and look innocent. This boy, vessel to a sinister demon, had no idea what kind of monster he _could_ be. Realizing that is was all in his potential, and not what he was at the moment, the dragon had decided to give the young boy a second chance to be something that wasn't intended for destruction.

Two pairs of gold eyes locked. Natsu stared eagerly at Igneel, waiting for him to get up. His role model and father stomped up to his feet, believing that his own son would use his curse for protecting his comrades. Pushing off against the concrete, Igneel launched himself into the air, flapping his heavy wings against the air. A gust disturbed the rubble again.

Feeling the same ambition and belief, Natsu pounced off the ground, using the askew dirt clouds to mask his move. Face had been activated, disabling Natsu's magic, but if he could rely on the strength that END's curse gave him, it would be alright.


	2. Chapter 2

Gray made his way through the aftermath of the earlier explosions. In search of Natsu and the others, Juvia had left his side sometime before. Stepping up onto a raised stone, he peered up over the damage. For a while, something had been tugging at his heart, something familiar. At the same time, something else angered and enflamed his emotions even more. In search of the feeling, Gray finally found Juvia in the wasteland.

"Gray-sama, Juvia hasn't found anyone," she called from the distance, meeting the gaze of her love. His eyes thinned out, and she frowned. Juvia wasn't doing as good of a job as making him happy as she wanted to be. Inside, she already felt terrible for being the true one to kill Silver.

Leaping down from his place, Gray shook his head. "It's fine. We'll just keep looking."

They needed to find Erza, who was supposed to have been engaged in a fight with Kyouka to stop Face. Every inch of Gray's magic had drained from his body, implying that she must have failed. It _should be_ his biggest priority to find her, make sure that she was still alive, but for some reason, his anger towards the demons was getting the better of him.

_I _will_ destroy END_, he thought, clenching his fists at his sides. Resuming his walk, Juvia brought herself to his side.

"Gray-sama…"

"Stop it," he said before she could say anything else. "Stop apologizing already, please." Gray turned to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Juvia remembered what Silver told her, and she would take it to heart. Only Gray's father could truly understand his son, and it was him who showed Juvia Gray's real feelings. Deep down, Gray knew what Silver had done, and he knew that Juvia did as she had to.

_She had to do it. She _had _to… There was no other option_. No matter how many times he kept repeating that to himself, he kept thinking about how the people around him kept vanishing. Ur had sacrificed himself for him, and truly, she wasn't gone, but there was never going to be a chance for her to stand by his side again. Ultear had vanished and he knew so, and there was no way of knowing what had truly happened to her. Even now, he had gotten his second chance with his father, and even though he got to say a final goodbye, it still didn't feel good enough. _All of this, just for END… I'll kill him._ Determined thoughts flared in his mind.

Hearing a familiar shout and yell in the distance, Gray and Juvia perked up. Facing the north, they raced in that direction, scaling and climbing over broken concrete walls and floors. Approaching a more open setting, Gray's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.

Brilliant bursts of flames shot through the sky, shared between both the dragon and Natsu. Acnologia, countering the flames screeched, vibrating the air. Natsu roared, clawing and punching at Mard Geer, who shook with shock. A different type of fire shrouded around Natsu, blazing stronger than it used to. The dragon masked in red scaled snapped and slammed into Acnologia.

"You will _not_ touch my son or his comrades!" The dragon took another swipe at Acnologia's face.

Acnologia hissed in pain, reannouncing, "Your 'son' is my enemy-my target!"

Juvia tugged at Gray, asking, "Is that Dragon Force?"

Clenching his jaw, Gray shrugged. He swallowed.

Struggling to take in the sight before him, he couldn't stop himself from staring at the sudden change of state that Natsu was in. Thick demon horns branched from the pink licks of hair, claws stained in black, thin obsidian slits for eyes. As Natsu opened his mouth to prepare another roar of fire, Gray caught a glimpse of a sharpened set of teeth. His yell broke out as he yelled, "Fire dragon's roar!"

Dodging the attack, thorns shot up through the ground. Natsu narrowly dodged, sliding across the stone. "What's the point in calling your attacks like you're still a dragon, son of Igneel? You're using a demon's curse now."

Natsu spat out of disgust. "Like I give a damn! I'll be using the techniques I'm familiar with, and I'll kick your ass like I would have done with or without END!"

_END._ Gray froze. The name shot through Juvia as well, and she quickly turned to Gray. He bared his teeth in frustration, struggling not to shout Natsu's name out of anger and frustration. _Was he hiding this from the guild the whole goddamn time!?_

Juvia pulled Gray to turn to her, clasping his face in her hands. "Gray-sama, Natsu's not the demon Gray-sama thinks END is! Natsu is Gray-sama's friend, right? Please, stop this hatred!"

Gray pulled away, scowling. He couldn't stop himself, and he turned towards Gray and shouted, "Natsu!" He quickly looked to Juvia with apologetic eyes, and stepped down in the direction of Natsu.

Getting caught off guard for a moment at the sound of Gray's voice, Mard Geer's thorns shot up above the ground. Tossing Natsu to the side, blazing pain shot through Natsu's body as he rolled across the ground. Lucy shouted out his name as she struggled to move a bit, turning to Gray as he passed her.

Stopping by her, Gray asked, "Did he do that?"

Lucy nodded slowly, adding, "Yeah, but he had temporarily lost consciousness after the book tore and he lost his magic."

Lucy recalled the memories of Natsu racing forward, Sting and Rogue still at his side. Thorns bolted up through the ground, discarding the other two dragon slayers as though they were nothing. Lucy flinched in fear and they were tossed to the side, wanting to run after them. She had rushed to arrive, leaving behind Gajeel and the others to find Natsu. Seeing Natsu narrowly dodge the attacks, he continued to race forward, the suspense growing deeper in Lucy's heart. Another thorn shot up, skimming his cheek.

The flames blazed up around his hand and Natsu collided with Mard Geer, grabbing the book. In a fight to take and keep the book, the binding of the book torn. In that moment, a wide smile spread across Mard Geer's lips. His eyes widened and his pupils shrank, signaling that he realized Face's activation in that instant.

Stiffening, Natsu fell over as the book collapsed by his side. Lucy had struggled to race forward, feeling the little magic energy she had managed to rebuild leave her again. In that moment, shadows had shrouded around Natsu. Mard Geer had been shocked as well. Within those next moments, Natsu had lost complete and total control.

Struggling to try to explain that to Gray, he ignored her as she stammered and tripped over her own words. He approached Natsu, and Lucy saw Mard Geer cock an eyebrow. Pulling Natsu up to his feet, Gray instinctively shouted, "Natsu! This is all of your fault! Fairy Tail is broken… because of _you!_"

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What're you talking about, popsicle!?"

"You should have told everyone that you were END!"

Spitting to the side, "Hey, I just found out, too! Shut your trap, Gray! I was in the middle of a battle!"

Gray scowled. "I made a promise that I would be the one to destroy END. I don't care if it's you."


	3. Chapter 3

Unsure if he would be able to kill someone who had been his comrade since they were children, Gray showed signs of hesitation in his eyes. Holding Natsu's stare and gripping him by the jacket, Mard Geer smiled to himself.

_A chance to take out two fairies at once, _he thought to himself. Within a moment, thorns shot up from the ground, hoping surrounding Natsu and Gray to surround them. Natsu's eyes filled with ambition and a passionate fire, pushing Gray out of the way of the thorns as the trap closed in on Natsu alone.

The dark vines pulled him to the ground and trapped him alone. Natsu let out a sharp yell of pain, which quickly transcended into silence. Gray's eyes widened, seeing a single stream of blood come out from under the containment of thorns. Hesitantly, he looked to Mard Geer, whose eyes were filled with bloodlust and certainty. There was no longer any hesitation in his actions.

Lucy's cry broke the silence. "Natsu," she screamed, tears resuming to roll down her face.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to get up and take a fight, but she wouldn't sit back and let Natsu die. He'd never done that to her… Natsu had never allowed Lucy to get hurt if he could prevent it, and if he couldn't he'd avenge her. There was nothing for her to do. She had no magic, and there was no way for the rest of them to face Mard Geer and his curse.

Mard Geer approached Lucy slowly, the bloodthirsty look in his eyes still remaining. Forcing her to her feet, Mard Geer looked down on Lucy. "You were strong enough to defeat and kill one of the Demon Gates?" He spat at her. "How pathetic were they?"

"Lucy!" Juvia called out, attempting to break free from the vines.

Paralyzed with fear, angst, shock, Gray couldn't break the daze he was in. Natsu had pushed him aside to prevent them both from dying… What demon would do that…? Up to this point, Natsu wasn't a demon, but there was the burning passion for the want for revenge. He couldn't let this go… Tartarus' actions, Silver's death, the guild's perils… It was all because of END...

He _wasn't_ going to let this go.

Igneel shot a look down to the battlefield, seeing that Natsu wasn't left standing. Roaring, Igneel called out his son's name, not hesitating to resume his battle with Acnologia. Even he, a dragon, was growing weak and weary from the battle with the king of all dragons.

"How dare you protect END!" Acnologia callled out.

Igneel protested, "I will _not_ let you bring anymore harm to my son or his friends!"

Flames of anger shot up from the bundle of vines that held Natsu down. This pain was nothing to him, and he learned not to let his fear bring him down, a lesson from Gildarts. _Now is not the moment to let fear stop me,_ Natsu demanded inwardly.

Breaking free of the threshold that held him beneath the vines, Natsu shot forward, rage in his eyes. Swallowed up in flames, he denied letting anyone hurt Lucy any further. Racing towards Mard and Lucy, Natsu extinguished his fire, grabbing ahold of Lucy, sending a single uppercut in Mard Geer's direction.

Knocking him back, Natsu rested her down, looking over to Gray. "Gray! I'm taking care of you later!"

From the hit, Mard Geer's vines slipped back into the ground, letting go of Juvia and Gray. Juvia dusted off her clothes, narrowing her eyes at the fight in front of her eyes. She couldn't believe that her own comrade was Zeref's strongest demon, yet the demon was fighting against the side that wanted to protect Zeref and worshipped him.

Natsu allowed himself to attack with full force. He couldn't forgive Tartarus for everything that they had done, not only to Fairy Tail, but to Fiore. They killed the Magic Coucil, ex-members, destroyed the Fairy Tail guildhall, then harmed the Fairy Tail members for selfish reasons, and then stole all of the magic in the continent. There was no option left, except to kill.

_I can't forgive them, _Natsu thought as he threw flaming punches and kicks at Mard Geer. He needed to annihilate every remaining piece of Tartarus. Tears of frustration and anger and sadness began to fall from his eyes as he continued to attack. He'd never had to kill anyone before the Tartarus incident.

As Natsu braced himself to throw a final punch to knock out Mard Geer, a jolt of pain bolted through his body. The pain shot out from his heart. Eyes widened, Natsu froze in the middle of his punch. Everything around him seemed to pause, along with him. Everything became black and white, and resumed to be what it was.

It reminded Natsu of the time that Zeref had arrived to talk to Natsu in the haze. Without any chance to think, Natsu gasped and fell to the ground. Pain flooded his body, blocking out the world around him.

Mard Geer looked around, whispering, "Zeref is near."


	4. Chapter 4

Groaning as Natsu fell to the ground, Lucy gasped, wondering what had happened. Gray got up from the ground after falling from the thorn vines, clenching his jaw. Hitting the ground, Natsu's eyes widened, seemingly frozen in time.

"Zeref is near," Mard Geer muttered, looking around the rubble. Pressing a heart to his hand, he could feel it-the deep, intense, heavy feeling that would surround Zeref. Looking down to Natsu, who rested silently at his feet, Mard Geer moved to push him to the side.

Lucy called out to her comrade, hoping that he'd get up like the last time. He didn't move, his eyes still open with shock. He could feel the same presence that Mard Geer was feeling, and it was weighing him down. It hurt too much to move, and it felt as though he was losing consciousness.

The silence continued, pulling on Lucy's ability to be patient. It was growing impossible for her to see Natsu struggling in pain, and even more so, his silence was killing her. He looked in shock, in pain. Searching the distance, she could feel the pressure of Zeref thickening, making it harder to breathe. It felt as though she was breathing lead into her lungs, making it harder and harder for her chest to heave up and down.

"Gray-sama," Juvia called to him, whispering as soft as she could. She didn't want to catch Mard Geer's attention, and she still wondered why all of this was happening to Natsu. Gray remained silent, not even shooting a glance at Juvia. "Gray-sama…" She pressed her hand to his shoulder, hoping he would turn to meet her eyes. He didn't.

"Juvia," he murmured, his voice hoarse and shaken.

She perked up a bit, turning back to him after looking in Mard Geer's direction. "Yes?"

"He saved me… That idiot…" He continued to speak quietly, barely audible for Juvia to hear. "I can't believe that he would do something as stupid as that."

Lucy trembled, unable to hold back anymore tears. She felt a burst of anger towards Gray, finding a way to blame Natsu's struggle on him. "Gray, you distracted him… He could still be fighting right now…" She continued to shake, trying to get herself to stop; stop the shaking, stop the words from coming out.

Looking to Lucy for a moment, in a way, Gray felt as though she was right. He heard her whisper, "I'm sorry," and he shook his head. "It's my fault."

_He's END. Don't feel sorry for him._ Something inside him attempted to click, but there wasn't anything. He wanted to blame END and kill him for all of the trouble that the demon had caused, but at the same time, it was Natsu who was fighting for them. _Natsu is END. Natsu is END. Natsu is END._ It kept repeating in his head, driving him insane.

The grass dried up and crunched beneath _his_ feet. The patches of life in the wasteland of rubble was sparse, but it was there. Enough for _him_ to step onto, be near it, and kill it. _Natsu has awakened…_ Approaching the area that was releasing massive waves of END's presence, Zeref smiled. It wasn't hard to pick out, being that magic had completely vanished from the continent. There was so much energy being released from a single body, Zeref was sure that every human in Earthland could sense END's presence.

_Why are you suppressing yourself, Natsu? _Zeref killed more grass beneath his feet as he stepped off of a concrete block. Holding out his hand, he froze time, inverting the colors of the world to a simple black and white macrocosm around them. Everything froze, stuck in the moment of time. It was like the last time that he approached Natsu, pausing everything around him in the Tartarus castle.

Approaching the battlefield, he took in the sight before him. Natsu, slowly being fully taken over by his real self-END-and Mard Geer searching the vast distance for Zeref's presence. Natsu's human friends crying and in pain and agony at the sight of their friend, The book that held the writing for END was on the ground, torn from the spine.

Walking towards the book with a slow and liesurely pace, Zeref took it in his hand, openin it to specific pages, holding it towards Natsu as he began to read the book. _You are the only one who can kill me, Natsu Dragneel. Become END._ Casting the final curse that no one would have known, he shifted his gaze to the dragons above.

_Acnologia, the one who almost robbed me of my last hope to leave this world, and Igneel, the one who nearly did the same, but attempted to "save" END. Look at the boy now, dragons. There is no hope to save him, and dragon will not be the one to kill him._

Vanishing from the area, he released his spell. Natsu's eyes shot open wider, pain shooting through his veins. Screaming in agony, it felt as though his blood was thickening, flowing slower through him, tearing him apart from the inside. Heat, like fire, began to sear him, as though he'd swallowed fire like never before.

"Natsu," Lucy shouted, caught off guard by his yelling.

Mard Geer turned back to Natsu, stunned by the outburst. Red marks stretched across Natsu's skin, marring his smooth skin. They decorated his neck, beginning to mark his cheeks. His appearance altered, as though he was a human and dragon… a demon. He continued to cry out in agony, unable to move.

The pain came to a sudden halt, stopping all at once. Coming back in pulses like a slow and steady heartbeat, he pushed up to his feet. Turning around, there was something different in his eyes. Lucy saw it. His eyes were pitch black, like dark voids. All sense of right and wrong seemed to vanish so abruptly, and the massive amount of power that he was releasing was sickening.

Pressing her fingers to her temples, Lucy stared at him. It brought her a migrane to be so close to him, to be looking directly at him. She wasn't sure if she was looking at Natsu anymore, and everything had happened so abruptly. Looking around, the Book of END was gone, and Mard Geer was stepping away from Natsu.

"You don't have the same look in your eyes as before," Mard Geer muttered, hoping to back away from the surges of energy. "You've lost it all to END."

With his attention driven away from the demon in front of him, END took in a deep breath. He looked to the humans directly in front of him, and he titled his head a bit. They looked as though they knew him.

"Natsu, please…"

_Natsu?_


	5. Chapter 5

It was a simple state of nihility. Everything felt cold, empty, _gone._ There was nothing around him, and if he could reach his hand out to feel if something was there, just that he couldn't see it, it was impossible. Natsu felt as though he had become nothing, just a single disembodiment of his own mind.

END looked forward at Lucy and the others, his head cocked sideways to contemplate what the girl had just called him. _Natsu?_ Mard Geer stood away from him, confused, wondering what he was going to do. Befuddled, END stood still, taking in everything around him.

The air was thick, heavy with clouds of dust and sadness that lingered. Caught in the wind, distant voices could be heard, only to him, calling for Lucy and the others. The name Natsu was heard within the group of names. It was quiet and faint, but it was enough to cause him to look in a new direction.

Natsu could hear the voices, wondering why he was trapped, unable to do anything. The darkness had thinned a bit, allowing him to see Lucy and the others. They looked in pain, scared. _Why can't I move my hand?_ Natsu thought, trying to extend his hand towards them, but nothing happened. _I wonder… Is everyone else okay?_

The view shifted over to Mard Geer, who had begun to smile and laugh maniacally. Natsu cussed under his breath, ready to attack him, but nothing moved. He recalled the intense pain he felt in the moment before, and the feeling of everything going black. This was a familiar feeling, like when he'd lost control and attacked Lucy with a lack of free will. The feeling that he had was the same feeling as that time, and it was upsetting.

"_You've lost it all to END."_ Mard Geer's words echoed in his head. They were haunting. Were they true?

* * *

><p>Sting shot up from some of the rubble, rubbing his head. He'd been flung away by some attack on Mard Geer's behalf, landing in the aftermath of Cube. Looking around frantically, he looked for Rogue. His partner stumbled over the rubble, approaching Sting with cautious eyes. He'd seen Natsu on his way to find Sting, and it wasn't a glorious sight.<p>

"Sting," he called, lowering his voice in hopes that the newly awakened demon wouldn't hear him.

Sitting up, Sting furrowed a brow. "Are you okay?" He noted the wound on his forehead that dripped blood down to his cheek. Rogue flicked his hair away from the wound, wincing as the strands brushed the cut.

"My health doesn't matter. It's Natsu who does."

Jolting upright, Sting scrambled to his feet. "What happened?"

Rogue looked to the side, in the direction that he saw Salamander. "The Book of END was used, as from what I saw, Natsu's body is the vessel for the demon."

Swallowing hard, the blonde dragon slayer inhaled deeply, holding it in. His brain was scrambled, struggling to take in Rogue's words. How could Natsu let something get out of hand like that? He wouldn't done in voluntarily, so Sting began to look at the possibilities. The scent of blood was light in the air, signaling the fight was intense.

Looking up to see Acnologia and Igneel clashing. Fire shot from Igneel's mouth, his roar echoing through the sky. The battle wasn't a one-sided fight, and Sting and Rogue hoped that Natsu's father would take the upper hand. The two began to walk in the direction that Rogue had said the fight was taking place in.

* * *

><p>END exhaled, being approached by Mard Geer.<p>

"Lord END," Mard Geer said, dropping to a knee and bowing his head. "I have long-awaited his day to meet you."

Scowling down at the man before him, the demon extended his hand, reaching down to grab Mard Geer by the hair. Yanking him up with extreme force, he gasped in shock. Gripping his throat, END's black nails dug into his skin, a stinging feeling throbbing. Mard Geer groaned in pain, oblivious to why a demon of Zeref's was attacking him. Blood streamed down from the nail wounds, and END tossed Mard Geer to the side. He flew, skidding across the dirt.

Shouts of agony escaped the king of the Underworld's lips as he collided with the earth. Lucy covered her gaping mouth in surprise, looking back to Juvia and Gray. Something inside Lucy told her that they should run, but she was far too scared to say anything or move. Juvia saw the look in her eyes, and took the hint.

Forcing Gray up, Juvia pulled at his arm. Gray never took his eyes off of Natsu, clenching his jaw. He had planned to kill this demon, and he wasn't going to stop. Brushing Juvia off, he pulled Lucy up to her feet before END turned to them. The demon didn't look away from Mard Geer, giving the others their chance to run.

"You two," Gray addressed the girls. "You two need to find the rest of Fairy Tail and get the hell away from here. _Now._"

Juvia understood, grabbing Lucy's wrist. "No!" Lucy shouted, catching END's attention. "I am _not_ leaving you to kill Natsu! He's your friend, Gray! That is still Natsu!"

"Natsu is gone, Lucy! You need to accept that!"

"I don't know about you, but he's still my friend," Lucy protested, walking past Gray. She begun to approach Natsu, refusing to look back at Gray and Juvia.

"Gray-sama," Juvia pleaded, taking a moment to reach her hand out to grab his wrist. "Leave Lucy to do this. Lucy believes in Natsu."

"You're too reckless, just like him!" Gray called to Lucy, held back by Juvia's hands. "END is going to kill you!"

Ignoring him, Lucy approached her comrade. He was the reason she was in Fairy Tail and had gotten stronger, more confident, and had become a better person. She wasn't going to give up on him. Natsu was still Natsu, even if there was a demon in contol.

"The demon is Natsu," Mard Geer said, getting up. "Natsu was the demon all along, it's just the book awakened the part of him that the dragon had managed to bury in petty lies and unspoken truths."

_He's still Natsu… He's still the kind, reckless idiot that the guild loves… that _I _love. I will save him._ Lucy continued to approach him, ignoring the world around her. Only a little space remained between them.

"Lucy! Stop!"

Sting and Rogue called to her from the sidelines. END's claws swept up and gripped her by the arm.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Sorry that this chapter took a while to come out! I thought it would have been okay, since I released a few last week, and I was waiting for the new chapter to come out. I'm feeling extremely strongly about this theory, especially after the recent chapter (407)! Anyways, here's the new chapter for you all! The fanfic is a bit incorrect, being that Gray arrived in the chapter before Face's activation, but I'll just stick to my story!

* * *

><p>"Natsu!" Lucy yelped, gasping from the harsh grab. She stared into the black beads for his eyes, swallowing her fear. She braved him, and there wasn't any option to turn back or run. She <em>needed<em> to stop END and bring Natsu back. The guild wouldn't be Fairy Tail without him, and if Gray and the others weren't going to do anything about it, then she would do it herself.

This was a way of thought that she would have never lived by if it wasn't for the guild. _I'll do whatever it takes to bring Natsu back, even if I die._

Erza's words haunted her memory. _"You don't die for your friends; you live for them._"How valid could that even be now? Lucy wondered if everyone was right, and Natsu was gone. She pondered if the person before her, bearing Natsu's big eyes, his pale pink hair, his childish but matured face, was just END, and Natsu no longer existed.

_Lucy, I'm sorry_,Natsu thought, forced to watch everything. The weak feeling of Lucy's skin could be felt in his hand, but there was nothing that he could do to let go. How weak was he, to give in to END? To allow this to happen? Lucy would argue with him that there was nothing for him to do to stop it, that the others were there for a reason, to stop him.

Once again, everything stopped. It was just Natsu in his own little world. The rubble and damage was still around him, but the people who gawked were gone. Lucy was no longer in his grasp, and Mard Geer wasn't standing there in awe. It was just Natsu and a monochrome domain. It was a good place for Natsu to reside in his thoughts, maybe just think for endless hours, and outside, nothing would happen, Lucy would still be in his grasp, and he could make a comeback for himself.

That's what he wanted to think.

Stepping forward, Natsu was entirely relieved to have total control over his body again. He felt a throbbing pain in his head, pressing the palm of his hand to it. Wincing, he pulled it away, staring down at the blood that tainted his hand. Nothing pushed him to move out of his line of sight, or leave the area that he had been fighting in. At the moment, it was his area of familiarity. There was no guild to return to, and there was no place that he could feel at home.

Was this his end? Was this the place he would die, or lose himself? Was this the moment that he would succumb to the darkness?

The realm of worthlessness was swallowing whole, nihility taking over. He was demoted to being a single thought, a piece of consciousness that could never be nothing more than the deliberation that would have no effect on END. In fact, he was END, but what Natsu truly was wasn't END. He was the kindness, the persistence, the good, and END was the curse that he'd been locked to.

He was created to be nothing more than a demon. Nothing more than a curse. Nothing more than the _thing_ to end Zeref. He was a thing, no longer a human. He was never human.

Or so he thought.

He'd been raised to be a dragon slayer, but treated by a human. An equal human. He'd lived amongst mortals and laughed and joked with them. They saw him as one, and he saw himself as one. But now, knowing something new-something brash and terrible-could he still be considered human? Would the guild still see him as a comrade, or as a destroyer now?

_"No! Running away by myself? No way. It's always more fun when we are together!" _Lucy's words from Tenrou Island echoed in his head. Natsu remembered the time that Lucy had braved Kain Hikaru to stay by his side. Even now, in just this single moment, he'd seen Lucy cry so many tears, he couldn't forgive himself. He remembered telling her, "Don't cry, Lucy. Let's save the tears for when we win." He wanted to win. He wanted her to win.

He felt the tears coming on.

He told her to save her tears for when they won, and she kept on trying.

Could he do the same?


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Sorry for slow publishing, guys! School is keeping me really busy, and I'm not finding much time to write my fanfics!

* * *

><p>A tear dropped against the ground. Lucy screamed out Natsu's name, struggling to fight him and her tears at the same time. She struggled to break free from her arm, refusing to look back at Juvia, who was struggling to pull Gray away from the fight. Fury and anxiety flooded his navy blue eyes.<p>

Looking up to END, she could see something in his eyes… Something that reminded her of Natsu. Strong but sorrowful… The strength was always there, ever present. The sorrow was there for being so harmful, for losing himself, for being weak.

_You're not weak, Natsu… You're not…_ Lucy turned to Mard Geer, who struggled to get back up to his feet. He extended his hand, reaching it towards END. "Please, Lord END, allow me to assist you," he said as he dropped to one knee.

Lucy scowled down at him, realizing there was no chance of END letting go of her. Crying out a bit as his grip tightened and his blackened nails dug into her skin. She wasn't going to lose Natsu, and even if it felt as though she was losing feeling in her arm, she wasn't going to stop.

"You caused this! How did this even happen?" Lucy shouted, gasping as END's grip tightened as she begun to shout at the kneeling man.

Imagining that humans would be weak, END tilted his head to the side, feeling vague memories of this blonde girl rise up inside of him. It was a bit warming, heating up the cold, empty feeling inside of him, yet it was also sickening. He couldn't feel remorse for this girl, or have a connection to her.

Tossing her to the side, he frowned. Lucy grunted as she END approached the man. Urges rose up in him, making him move without any consent whatsoever. It was sudden, real, and passionate.

"This is your fault," the demon said, using Natsu's voice. To Lucy, it was warm and welcoming, familiar to her ears. It almost made her want to call out to her comrade, but she remembered that her pleas to Natsu wouldn't make it past the barrier of END.

"Lucy's hurt… Juvia's crying… Gray's pissed off at me…" It was a calling from Natsu. Lucy jumped eagerly to her feet, hoping to take her chance. "The whole guild is hurt… because of _you!_"

Reaching his hand out, the mixture of END and Natsu ignored Mard Geer's hand and swept him up by the throat. Enflaming his hand, he pressed him into the ground with a harsh push. Stomping down on his chest, END crushed Mard's body into the ground.

Lucy gasped, caught off guard by Natsu's extreme actions. Racing forward, she pulled him back as the demon continued to push him farther and farther into the ground. She wouldn't allow Natsu to be marred by killing someone, not like she and Juvia were. She couldn't do it, and she wanted to pull him away.

"Natsu! Cut it out!"

Rage inflamed him, and with a burst of anger, he pushed Lucy back into a pile of rubble. Gray pulled himself from Juvia's grasp, approaching END. Every sign of Natsu was gone again, and he wasn't going to allow Natsu to hurt Lucy again. Gray called out to Lucy as she hit the concrete blocks, and she nodded with determination.

With a final hit, Mard Geer stopped moving. A single trickle of blood slipped from his lip, and he fell silent after yelps in pain the moment before. He had let his guard down, allowing END to take advantage of his weakness. Mard Geer, for all they knew was gone, and END was still standing.

Stepping away from the body, he remained quiet.

A single moment of silence fell. The darkness left END's eyes, and Gray and Lucy could see the different. The coldness vanished from the air as a circle of fire surrounded END. He took in Lucy, the wounds on her skin, and he absorbed the anger in Gray's eyes. He was Natsu again, and he wasn't ready to face them.

The sound of crackling flames filled his ears, and he slipped down to his knees. The heat pressed against his skin, caressing his wounds. Looking down at his palm, he felt scarred by the blood, and he could never forgive himself for killing someone. Shivering from the gelid feeling inside his heart.

Gray and Lucy stared at the wall of flames. The oranges and reds and yellow glowed on their skin, and the licks of fire reflected in their eyes. The sadness they saw was like no other, and it was new to them.

Finally, after being locked away in his thoughts, he felt the tears finally begin to come on. They rimmed his eyes. Biting his lip as his vision begun to blur, the pain and remorse overwhelmed him.

He couldn't do it.

He couldn't hold it in.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** I suggest you guys read _The Age of Gladiators_, another Fairy Tail fanfic, but it's an AU! I really love that fic, and I'm sure you will too! And for all of you Jerza fans, look up _Chantilly_. It's a really good oneshot from Jerza fest on Tumblr! Both of them are available on this website!

Also, the next chapter is my final chapter of _The END Phenomenon_! I'm stopping this soon because I'm feeling strongly that Natsu is going to be END, which I feel is coming up soon, especially after chapter 408! I hope you look forward to it!

The overwhelming sadness washed over him, quickly swallowing him and drowning him in its waves. The sehnsucht that was nestled in his heart throbbed, hurting him, assisting the tears as they kept on falling. The feeling of nothingness was coming back to him, and not too long ago, he wanted to leave the emptiness, but now, all he wanted was to sink back into it and vanish.

What had happened to his orenda? His firey passion that made him want to keep fighting for Lucy and the guild had vanished so quickly, in the moment that he killed someone, and in the moment that he hurt Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and so many others. His presence was harming them alone. In a way, he wanted to die.

_A demon doesn't deserve friends…_ _A demon doesn't deserve to be forgiven…_

The fire's heat brushed against his skin, warming him a bit. Everything that had happened made him feel a cold and frozen within himself. He trembled and shivered, trying to banish the thougts of Fairy Tail, of Lucy, of Happy, of Gray, of _everyone…_

In the air, Igneel and Acnologia crashed down, a distance away from the battlefield. Igneel's chest heaved with exhaustion as Acnologia's movements were hushed and slow. Neither dragon got back up, exhaustion and pain washing over them. Igneel trembled at what he had just seen of Natsu, thick flames surrounding his son, slowly closing in on his vulnerable body. In that state, Natsu wouldn't even be able to stand his own fire.

"Natsu," the dragon growled under his breath, "get back up and fight for your friends…" He was to quiet to have been heard, and Igneel begun to slip into the darkness of slumber as his golden eyes fell upon Acnologia for a short moment. The black dragon had lost, but had the fire dragon lost his son?

With a final huff, Igneel slipped into silent darkness, looking in his son's direction.

Lucy gripped Gray's shoulder, looking back at Juvia, who had fallen to her knees from the dragons' collision with the earth. She hurriedly got back up, running in the direction of her comrades. Lucy pleadingly looked at Juvia, hoping that she knew if Natsu's father was okay.

Juvia shook her head, and remained silent.

Gray stared down at his feet, refusing to allow a single tear to rise. He couldn't cry at a moment like this… He couldn't allow himself to. Expecting himself to be able to stop Natsu's wildness, he couldn't. All he could do was think about the time that Natsu had stopped him from performing Iced Shell, or made him get back up on Tenrou Island. A lot of the guild's persistance was because of him, but even the hero needed to be distressed sometimes.

"Natsu!" Lucy broke the silence, calling through the flames.

The dragon slayer perked up, his eyes widening in hopefulness. He could hear her voice loud and clear, despite the crackling flames. Catching himself before he could allow the flames to go down, he shouted back, "I'm not END... I'm not some goddamn demon!" _I want to be Natsu, I want to be Natsu, I want to be Natsu… I _am_ Natsu, for all hell..._

His voice cracked as he choked on his words and tears. Lucy could hear his sadness, clenching her fists at her side. "Natsu, it's okay… Just come out… You don't have to worry about you being END… It's okay."

"No!" The flames exploded a bit, shooting outwards at the guild members. The leaped backwards, dodging the flames. The fire stretched closer to his shaking body, and Natsu continued to ignore them.

_I'm serious… I'm Natsu! I'm not END… _he thought, forcing himself to think clearly.

Lucy exhaled, then took in a deep breath. Handing her bag of keys to Juvia, she stepped towards the flames.

_I'm with you, _Lucy thought. _I'm not giving up from the very beginning to the very end…_

She stepped into the fire, all in hopes to reach Natsu.


	9. Chapter 9

The licks of flames burned Lucy's skin, and with every step through Natsu's wall of flames, she had begun to find it harder to walk. She screamed in agony, and the sound of her pain was destroying Natsu even more. She persisted, fighting the pain that was burning at her. Lucy felt like she was slowly dying, and it was impossible to prevent herself from screaming and crying out.

As Lucy finally broke through the fire, she peered down on the emotionally destroyed Natsu. He looked up at her, his breathing growing heavier by the second. Lucy collapsed beside him, pulling Natsu into a quick embrace, and she felt his body begin to shake and tremble. She couldn't prevent this inevitable fate, but she wanted to be the one to save Natsu for the first time.

He whimpered and cried out her name several times, his voice shaken and weak. He was beginning to lose his voice, as it was hoarse and quiet. He looped his arms around her body, pulling her even closer, burying his face in her body. He cried out her name, muffling his voice even more.

"I killed him," he said weakly, looking up to meet Lucy's gaze. She frowned in condolence to him, cupping his face.

"You saved Fairy Tail, and Fiore, and Earthland… There was no way to save him," Lucy said quietly, seeing the regret and self-hatred in Natsu's eyes.

Outside of the burning circle, Juvia came up behind Gray, hugging him in worry. The two stared at the fire with fear and hopeful eyes. Signs of regret were also in Gray's eyes, being that he had promised to kill Natsu at the end of the fight. Leaning into the comfort of Juvia's arms for the first time, Gray placed his hands over her own.

Exhaling deeply, he asked if Juvia was okay, and she nodded weakly. She didn't dare to speak, her throat sore and exhausted. Juvia couldn't dare to look away from the fire, hoping that Lucy could save Natsu.

As the dragon slayer hesitantly opened his mouth, he could see the face of Gray through the fire. He perked up, familiar thoughts coming back to his head. Inside, he could still feel the stirring feeling of END inside of him. Quickly, he gathered himself and stood to his feet.

Letting go of Natsu, Lucy looked up at her comrade, feeling confused by Natsu's sudden actions. The flames dropped quickly, removing the wall between the outsiders and Lucy and Natsu. The dragon slayer stared determined at his rival and friend, and finally, after a long moment of silence, Natsu broke it.

"Gray, you said you'd kill me because I was END, right?"

Flinching, Gray furrowed a brow. He already knew where this was going, and he was not agreeing to killing Natsu anymore, no matter the reason.

"Sorry, hothead, but I'm not doing it."

Frowning, Natsu shook his head back at the ice devil slayer. "You have to. I can already tell that I'm not going to be 'just Natsu' anymore, and you're my only way out."

"What about Zeref? You're everyone's only hope to defeat him. You think I can just cut off humanity's last chance to live peacefully? Sorry, pyro, but I've been given some time to think about this."

Zeref hadn't even been a thought until Gray mentioned the dark mage. Natsu pulled Lucy to her feet, and before he could tell Gray to kill him after defeating Zeref, Lucy pulled him in for a hug.

"I love you too much to let you die, and it'll all work out, Natsu…" she whispered in his ear. His heartbeat came to a normal pace, and he finally smiled.

"Fine, have it your way, popsicle." He looked away from Gray, looked down at Lucy, and nodded. "I guess it's over," he whispered to her, and added, "and I love you all too much to say goodbye."

_It was over…_

**A/N: Thank-you all for reading! I know this wasn't the best ending, but I really didn't think this one out much before I started writing! I hope you enjoyed it, and please, check out my newest fanfiction called **_**Breaking the Boundary**_**, which will be a Fairy Tail AU that puts them on the **_**Titanic **_**in 1912! This story will have **_**lots and lots **_**of fluff, and there will be Nalu, Jerza, Gruvia, and Gajevy in this, so I hope you guys will check it out! I'm hoping to make it something big, so give it a shot! Thanks, and I hope to hear from you all soon!**


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